It [death] is the only certainty we have in life, but when we get there, we would like to think we've accomplished all of our goals. Those goals change from decade to decade, but in the last 12 weeks of our lives, what really matters to us most is not sex, money, possessions or trips around the world. A nurse in palliative who has counseled the dying in their last days has revealed the most common regrets we have at the end of our lives. Despite having no formal qualifications or experience, Bronnie Ware found herself working as a nurse in palliative care. Over the years she spent tending to the needs of those who were dying, Bronnie's life was transformed especially in the last 12 weeks of their lives. Bronnie has had a colourful and diverse past, but by applying the lessons of those nearing their death to her own life, she developed an understanding that it is possible for people, if they make the right choices, to die with peace of mind. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

It is important to accept the fact that life itself is full of regret for so many people, but it doesn't have to be. Every single choice you have made in your life has led you to where you are today. You simply would not be who you are today without those choices, and whether you perceive them as good or bad, they have expanded the deepest levels of your being.

All that matters in life is who you are at this very moment.

Live life to the fullest...cherish your friends and family...follow your dreams and know that when you reach the end of your life, everything was how it was for a reason. Everything is how it should be.

Read the article in its entirety at Top Five Life Regrets From Dying PatientsArticles's author Michael Forrester is a spiritual counselor and is a practicing motivational speaker for corporations in Japan, Canada and the United States.